14 of our pupils from Year 9 and Year 10 were selected to visit De Montfort University to have an insight into the Dance BA (Hons) course. The pupils participated in a three hour practical session, where they explored a variety of contemporary dance techniques with university lecturers and students. They were challenged with a choreography task to allow them to understand new ways of devising content. 

The pupils were also given a tour around campus by third year students who were able to answer questions that our pupils had about the course and university life.

All pupils enjoyed their visit with many commenting on how much they had gained from the experience. 

Year 10 have made such a fantastic start to their languages GCSE courses, with over 80% of the year studying a language. 44 of our pupils who have really impressed this year were nominated by their teachers to take part in a masterclass organised by the University of Birmingham to take part in a taster session. 

Our pupils were able to listen to a talk about languages courses and combinations at the University followed by a taster session. The languages on offer included Russian, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese, as well as the two workshops our pupils took part in – Italian and Portuguese. 

Pupils enjoyed the speaking practice in the new languages, with Italian being the most popular by far! They also had a brief walk through the main campus in the sunshine. 

A ‘bom día’ (good day) for Barr Beacon’s linguists! 

In October, we were delighted to bring back our popular Careers Fair. Having resorted to a virtual platform during the pandemic, we were pleased to get things back to normal, with our annual event welcoming a large array of providers. All of our pupils met and spoke to a range of education and training providers, both local and national, with employers such as Collins Aerospace, HMRC, West Midlands Police, the RAF and the Army; many local colleges; numerous training providers offering apprenticeships and traineeships; and a large collection of universities from all over the country. Pupils were able to see the many options available to them after Year 11 or 13. 

During the day, pupils also joined virtual breakout sessions in classrooms, with topics covering how to choose university courses, advice on choosing GCSE options and University vs Apprenticeships. 

It was wonderful to allow our pupils to once again have the opportunity to meet these provers face to face and ask all the crucial questions they have about their futures.

The Staffordshire University Great Minds Tour Bus has visited our Year 7 pupils at Barr Beacon today. Pupils have watched a film in the on-board cinema, showcasing all the exciting courses you can study at university. On the top deck, pupils had a taste of the E-Sports course offered at Staffordshire.